Rabbi Polsky prepares to exit; luncheon planned July 17
By ALAN SMASON, Special to the CCJN
Rabbi David Polsky is full of nervous energy these days as he prepares for an unchartered path of new challenges in the Detroit suburbs. While this move will bring him closer to family members, it will also take him far away from New Orleans, the city he has called home for the past five years and, more specifically, away from Anshe Sfard, the Orthodox congregation that enjoyed his first pulpit as a rabbi.
Rabbi David Polsky prepares to say goodbye to New Orleans. (Photo by Alan Smason)
Polsky, his wife Mindy and their two small daughters will be leaving at the end of the month, when his current contract expires. The congregation will be sending them off in grand style with a special catered luncheon titled “Farewell to Krewe D. Polsky,” honoring the rabbi for all of his many contributions and spiritual leadership throughout his tenure. The kosher meat meal will be held at 12 noon on Sunday, July 17 in the downstairs social hall and will be catered by Andy Adelman.
Adult tickets, which come with a listing in a commemorative Internet booklet start at $72, and are available by calling synagogue administrator Sandy Lassen at 504-782-7218 or emailing RSVPs at events.anshesfard@gmail.com. The deadline is this Sunday, July 9.
As he reflected on his past five years, Polsky agreed to an interview with the CCJN. Here is that interview:
CCJN: We understand that congratulations are in order – that you are officially now a homeowner. Where are you going to be in Detroit in terms of the area?
Polsky: We will be living a few blocks away from Mindy’s parents, a few houses down from Mindy’s sister and brother-in-law, a few blocks away from her aunt and uncle. We will be one town over from her brother and other uncle.
CCJN: You’ve told us where you will be by your relatives, but where, geographically, are you referring?
Polsky: Oh, Southfield. Southfield, Michigan
CCJN: Southfield, Michigan is as Kenner would be to New Orleans?
Polsky: (Nodding yes.) It is one of the Detroit suburbs.
CCJN: Is it considered a Jewish neighborhood?
Polsky: There is a very large Modern Orthodox synagogue called the Young Israel Southfield. There are a lot of synagogues in the next town called Oak Park.
CCJN: The former cantor from Touro Synagogue, Cantor Stephen Dubov of blessed memory, left New Orleans and went to Detroit and actually founded his own synagogue there. It speaks to the fact that there is an ability for a person to have a flock assemble about him and do some good. What is it you hope to do in Detroit?
Polsky: I am in the process of working on some opportunities.
CCJN: Nothing that can be spoken of at this time?
Polsky: Not as of now.
CCJN: What kinds of challenges are you looking for? A pulpit position? A teaching position?
Polsky: (Averts) I can’t answer that at this point.
CCJN: We’re not asking what you’ve interviewed for.
Polsky: It really depends on what’s available.
CCJN: Do you gravitate more towards teaching? Do you gravitate more towards a pulpit position?
Polsky: I really can’t say at this point, though I don’t anticipate any pulpits opening up anytime soon.
CCJN: We know you came from a background with the Orthodox Union (OU), where you worked with kashrut. Any chance you would be doing something like that?
Polsky: I don’t know. I really can’t say at this point.
CCJN: Let’s back up in terms of your rabbinate here. You came into a situation which was essentially a void. They didn’t have a rabbi. They needed one for a long time and we know you came in expecting certain things. It was, after all, your first pulpit. Was it what you expected?
Polsky: Expectations in what sense?
CCJN: Well, never having led a congregation before as the senior rabbi, as it were. Was it more or less what you expected knowing the challenges that you may have had?
Polsky: (considers) More or less.
CCJN: In terms of the things that really made the experience of being the rabbi at Anshe Sfard, what were some of the highlights for you during your tenure here?
Rabbi David Polsky at Congregation Anshe Sfard. (Photo by Alan Smason)
Polsky: Certainly, Purim and our second lines that we’ve had the past two years were a major highlight.
CCJN: Was that your idea or was that suggested to you?
Polsky: (thinks) I can say Louis Lederman, olav ha’shalom (may he rest in peace), and also L. J. Goldstein had always wanted to have a second line and it hadn’t happened for a variety of reasons. I thought that two years ago would be a good time and it was able to happen.
CCJN: We noticed that you also began a relationship with (Avenue Pub owner) Polly Adler. Could you talk a little bit about how that came about and the outreach that you had?
Polsky: I had already known her from the neighborhood. For a variety of reasons it looked like the most logical ending point for a second line and Polly was very accommodating.
CCJN: Obviously, in terms of life events a rabbi is called upon to do some of the most heartrending things that tear families apart – deaths for example – and life affirming events such as births and weddings. Did you ever actually perform a wedding?
Polsky: Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to perform a wedding while in New Orleans and hopefully, I’ll be able to —
CCJN: In Detroit? —
Polsky:– at some other point.
CCJN: Other than Chabad, this is the only Orthodox synagogue with a New Orleans address. Did you find that a heavy responsibility to make sure that there was a minyan for people coming in from out of town, for example?
Polsky: I don’t know what you mean by heavy responsibility, but I tremendously enjoyed getting to interact with visitors from all different parts of the world (such as) from England or Borough Park or Williamsburg. Many Jewish travelers, conventioneers and tourists of all various backgrounds and levels of observance, it was a real tremendous thrill to be able to welcome and provide hospitality to so many visitors and so many visiting groups.
CCJN: Was there a particular holiday that you looked forward to every year to being on the pulpit? Was Purim it or the High Holidays?
Polsky: For Anshe Sfard specifically?
CCJN: Yes.
Polsky: Well, certainly, Purim was the most fun, though Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have been the most meaningful for me.
CCJN: At one point you were trying to erect an eruv (Shabbat religious enclosure). Are we still getting to that point where you can comment on it?
Polsky: I can’t comment on it.
CCJN: You can’t comment on it?
Polsky: We’ve had a number of roadblocks and I can’t comment on it.
CCJN: We assume since you can’t comment that there are (roadblocks) both within and without. Do you think that we’ll ever have an eruv in New Orleans?
Polsky: I do hope that the Orthodox community and Orthodox leaders are able to overcome those roadblocks. I can say that we’ve had some holdups with Entergy, but I can’t get into the other holdup.
CCJN: We have heard that there are some problems in other areas with the acceptance of what constitutes an eruv from within Chabad. Did that enter into it?
Polsky: It doesn’t relate to that. Rabbi (Mendel) Rivkin helped me whenever he could.
CCJN: We know how important it was for you to make sure that Mr. (Joseph) Sher of blessed memory was here (at Anshe Sfard) on Shabbats. We think it would have been very difficult for you to leave knowing that he was still here and you would be unable to help him. He was a big part of your tenure, was he not?
Polsky: Mr. Sher, as I’ve said a number of times, was the pillar of Anshe Sfard. His radiant smile really filled the room on Shabbat mornings and losing such a tremendous force and such a great man is definitely a major loss not only for Anshe Sfard, but the entire Jewish community of New Orleans.
CCJN: In terms of construction on site, there were outside groups who came in and rehabbed the synagogue. Could you talk about what has been done under your tenure?
Polsky: I was very happy to be able to work with the United Saints Recovery Project and very thankful that they renovated our downstairs bathrooms at cost. I’m very grateful to Ed Young for renovating the (wooden) floor in our social hall. It looks really beautiful and so much better.
CCJN: And the upstairs sanctuary was also repaired and repainted, right?
Polsky: Benjamin Berman, our former president oversaw that project. I’m very thankful that our beautiful and historic synagogue was repainted.
CCJN: How about some of the work you did as representing Anshe Sfard to the outside New Orleans community? We’re thinking about some of the outreach you did on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with members of the black community.
Polsky: Certainly. I was very blessed to have the opportunity to work with my tremendous, very skilled and fellow member of the cloth, the Rev. Dr. Martha Orfay. I really appreciated the opportunity to get to know her and to work with her. I also very much enjoyed representing Anshe Sfard in various other city functions like giving an invocation before a Hornets game and giving an invocation before a Martin Luther King Day parade. I really enjoyed representing Judaism to the larger New Orleans Jewish community.
CCJN: Can you talk a bit about how your cooking improved once you arrived in New Orleans?
Polsky: I really enjoyed learning how to make jambalaya, roast beef po’ boys and red beans and rice. I look forward to cooking those and other New Orleans dishes up north.
CCJN: What about that other Purim festival they hold down here?
Polsky: Mardi Gras?
CCJN: Yes.
Polsky: I really enjoyed the opportunity to march together with Krewe du Jieux and I hope to be able to march next year and future years as well in Krewe du Jieux. I will never forget a few years ago marching with Krewe du Jieux as Moses. It was certainly an experience that I’ll always remember and a lot of fun.
CCJN: Were both of your babies born in New Orleans?
Polsky: Yes, both of my daughters were born in New Orleans.
CCJN: You’ll always have that knowledge that New Orleans was where they born and perhaps they will want to come back and visit later.
Polsky: Yes.
CCJN: You said you might be able to come back as well?
Polsky: Aside from weekends of Krewe du Jieux marches, I hope to be able to visit New Orleans and Anshe Sfard in the future.
CCJN: Detroit is a big sports town with many more opportunities than here. Are you looking forward to getting involved with the Tigers or some of the other teams that are up there?
Polsky: Although I have watched Detroit Lions football games and Tigers games, certainly for football , I will always carry my love for the Saints with me and will always be a member of Who Dat Nation. (Pauses) And I will always carry my love for the New Orleans Pelicans. If I ever refrain from shaving my unibrow, I will definitely have Anthony Davis in mind.
CCJN: Anything you wanted to add?
Polsky: It was a tremendous opportunity to serve as the spiritual leader of such a beautiful and historic synagogue in such a beautiful city. We are very grateful for the experience.
CCJN: How about the luncheon? We know you are not planning it. Any final thoughts?
Polsky: I look forward to seeing all those who attend and to spend as much time with them as we drive up north.
